Cakewalk

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This article is about the form of music and dance. For other meanings, see Cakewalk (disambiguation).

Cakewalk is a traditional African American form of music and dance which originated among slaves in the US South. A cake, or slices of cake, were offered as prizes for the best dancers — a rare treat during slavery — giving the dance its name.

The dance was invented as a satirical parody of the formal European dances preferred by white slaveowners, and featured exaggerated imitations of the dance ritual, combined with traditional African dance steps. One common form of cakewalk dance involved couples (one male and one female, with their arms linked at the elbows) lined up in a circle, dancing forward alternating a series of short hopping steps with a series of very high kicking steps. Costumes worn for the cakewalk often included large, exaggerated bowties, suits, canes, and top hats.

Dances by slaves were a popular spectator pastime for slaveowners, evolving into regular Sunday contests held for their pleasure. Following the American Civil War, the tradition continued amongst African Americans in the South and gradually moved northward. The dance became nationally popular among whites and blacks for a time at the end of the 19th century. The syncopated music of the cakewalk became a nationally popular force in mainstream music of the USA late in the century, and with growing complexity and sophistication evolved into ragtime music in the mid 1890s. The music was adopted into the works of various white musicians, including John Philip Sousa and Claude Debussy; the latter wrote Golliwog's Cakewalk as the final movement of his suite Children's Corner (1908).

The term "cakewalk" is often used to indicate something that is very easy or effortless. Though the dance itself could be physically demanding, it was generally considered a fun, recreational pastime. The phrases "takes the cake" and "piece of cake" also come from this practice.

Today the Cakewalk is kept alive in the Highland Dance syllabus. The Cakewalk is considered a character dance and is taught, performed and competed in within the Scottish Highland Dance community.